Did You Know? Year 1974

March 2023

Significant events in the year 1974 include major political disruptions, such as the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal, and impactful contests in the world of sports, including The Rumble in the Jungle, a boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. In international news, the first in an extensive collection of terra-cotta warriors was discovered in Xian, China. Local farmers came across pieces of a clay figure which led to the discovery of the ancient tomb, vast in its size and number of artifacts.

The 1970s were a period of transition for America as the progressive values that emerged in the 1960s around political awareness and women’s rights continued to flourish. A shift in pop culture also was under way, from Beatlemania and flower power to disco. Movies released in 1974 included best picture winner The Godfather Part II, Chinatown and Mel Brooks’ one-two punch Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein. A young novelist named Stephen King published his debut novel, Carrie.

Newark State College became Kean College of New Jersey in 1973. Named for the Kean family, whose members include Congressman Robert Winthrop Kean, U.S. Congressman and U.S. Senator John Kean of New Jersey, former New Jersey Governor and chair of the 9/11 Commission Thomas Kean Sr., the College’s graduating class of 1974 was comprised of 1,534 Kean alumni.

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